Sep

Workers Compensation

Advanced Pain Medicine Associates can help patients get pain relief after a work injury. All workers’ compensation clients must follow these guidelines:• All workers’ compensation patients will be required to sign a Medication Contract if prescribed a controlled substance at any time throughout their care.• Patients prescribed controlled substances will be subject to quarterly random drug screens. Refusal on either party can result in dismissal from this practice.• For those on controlled medications, monthly nursing visits with pill count will be required.• Patients must demonstrate compliance with medical recommendations and routine follow-up visits as requested.

If you are a prospective patient, continue to the Patient section. If you are a Workers’ Compensation Payer, an Employer or an Attorney, continue to the WC/Employers/Attorneys section.

If a patient wants to be referred to our practice, they will need to notify their current treating physician who is providing care for their work injury OR if they are represented by an attorney, they can make their request for pain management with their legal representation. Some patients may not have an attorney and may be corresponding with their workers’ compensation adjuster and/or nurse case manager directly. If this is the case, the patient will need to make their wishes known to the adjuster or case manager.

Once our offices have been notified of the patient’s referral for pain management, the practice case manager will contact the referring party to obtain necessary records and information. Records are priority and required for the clinic physicians review and acceptance to Advanced Pain Medicine Associates.

Upon acceptance to the clinic, our case manager will notify workers’ compensation and the patient will be scheduled for services as agreed upon.

WC/Employers/Attorneys We have much to offer the work comp patient and will work closely with all parties involved in the patient’s case. Continuity of care is key to a chronic pain patient and crucial to the success of maintaining pain control. Identifying the patient’s pain generator is first and foremost in laying out a plan of care. Chronic pain is much like a disease that requires ongoing care, sometimes in a diverse fashion in order to gain control, and then maintain control, over the pain. There are multiple options available for pain management from oral medications to interventional pain blocks, multiple therapies and modalities, depending on the patient’s symptoms. With a “chronic” diagnosis, exacerbations and flares will and should be expected. With these flares, and throughout the patient’s care, it is essential to have a cohesive partnering among all parties to communicate the needs of the patient in order to bring their pain under control.

Criteria for referring a work comp patient: Records will be the initial requirement to determine if our clinic is appropriate for the patient’s current needs. Initial consultations will take place with the physician extender and treatment recommendations will be outlined as determined by the PA or Nurse Practitioner and their supervising physician. Some cases may require prior diagnostics if not available from records to provide a more accurate assessment of the patient’s treatment needs at the time of consultation.